This invention relates to a logic isolator for transmitting digital logical signals across an isolation barrier.
A logic isolator is a device or circuit for transmitting status or control signals across an isolation barrier from a sending side to a receiving side. The two sides are electronically isolated such that transient signals do not inadvertently trigger erroneous status or control information. U.S. Pat. No. 5,952,849, which is commonly assigned with the present application and is expressly incorporated by reference herein, shows circuitry for providing such isolation with a transformer as the barrier. Other barriers that are used include capacitors or optical devices.
In a logic isolator, when a signal is received having a low to high transition and then a high to low transition, the system can transmit across the barrier either a signal that is essentially the same as the signal that is received on the input side; alternatively, using two lines through a flip-flop, it can transmit a pulse on one line indicating a low to high transition, and a pulse on the other line indicating a high to low transition. The use of such pulses are shown, for example, in the incorporated patent.
The incorporated patent also shows the use of refresh pulses to indicate a current state of the logic line in addition to the changes in the state. This feature is useful because a logic line could be in one state for an extended period of time, and thus the refresh pulse tells the receiving side the state so the receiving side can distinguish no change from an error in the system.
A logic isolator has an input for providing a logic signal, an isolation barrier, transmitter circuit for transmitting to the isolation barrier a signal indicating changes from one state to another in the logic signal, and a receiver circuit for receiving from the isolation barrier the signal indicating changes in the state and providing an output signal indicating changes in the logic signal. The output signal may also indicate the state of the logic signal. The transmitter circuit receives logical transitions and provides a periodic signal across the isolation barrier. The receiver circuit then receives these periodic signals and converts them to transitions as provided at the input.
The periodic signal can be provided as a short burst that indicates that a transition in state has appeared. Alternatively, the periodic signal can be provided in a continuous manner, thus indicating both changes in the state and the state of the logic signal itself. The system preferably uses two separate lines and barriers so that, in the burst embodiment, the presence of the periodic signal on one line indicates a low to high transition, and on the other line indicates a high to low transition; in the continuous embodiment, a continuous periodic signal on one line indicates a high state, and on the other line indicates a low state.
The isolation barrier preferably includes a transformer, which may or may not be shielded, although the isolation barrier could employ some other method, such as capacitive coupling.
The invention also includes methods for transmitting logic signals across an isolation barrier, including converting a transition in a logic signal to a periodic signal, transmitting the periodic signal across an isolation barrier, receiving the periodic signal from the isolation barrier in a receiving circuit, and converting that periodic signal to a logical transition. The transmitting and converting processes may be with a short periodic signal that indicates a transition in the signal or a longer signal that continuously indicates the state of the signal.
In the burst mode of operation, refresh pulses can be provided as described in the incorporated patent to periodically indicate the state of the logic signal. In the continuous mode, refresh signals are not required because the periodic signal continuously indicates the state of the logic signal. The device preferably also includes detection circuitry for indicating when there has been a disconnection across the barrier, in particular to distinguish an intentionally high or low state, and the loss of a connection.
A continuous signal can also be provided through frequency modulation and demodulation, whereby an oscillator transmits to the isolation barrier a first frequency for a first state and a second frequency for a second state. A receiver circuit includes a frequency discriminator to determine the state from the signal received from the isolation barrier.